Quote:
Originally Posted by joyridin'
The C3 rear ends were just GM corporate 10 bolt rear ends. If you had a big block, they added bigger axles and an Auburn LSD, but it was still a GM 10-bolt. If you have over about 550 hp, even with the Auburn LSD, they will not hold up. Most Corvette owners with a decent amount of horsepower have done a 12 bolt conversion using the 10 bolt housing. It takes some machine work to get it to work, but now you are set for 1000 hp.
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This viewpoint is based mainly on the lazy language used in Internet forums. No C2 or C3 Corvette's rear end was a 10 bolt, nor are any of the parts interchangeable with a 10 bolt.
but since the Corvette's rear diff case was held on with 10 bolts... well, there you go... It's a 10 bolt.
The first C2/C3 diff was offered with the 1963 Corvette. Every single one of them from 63 to 82 used a 8.125 inch ring gear, and a Pinion with a 2.125 inch bearing shaft.
The first Corporate 10-bolt differential was offered in 1970 (7 years later) and used a 7 inch ring gear and a 1.75 inch Pinion bearing shaft.
In reality, the Corvette's rear diff design is slightly
similar to the later, stronger 8 inch 10 Bolt diffs, but it can also be said that the Corvette diff (and the later 10 bolts) were effectively a scaled down 12 bolt diff, with a shorter pinion shaft, and a 1/4 inch smaller ring gear.
The ony way you are going to break a well built C2 or C3 cast iron diff is if you are dumping 1000+ lbft of torque through it with 33 inch drag slicks.
on street tires, even 1000HP is going to light the tires (especially on a 2500 pound car) long before any diff pieces start breaking...
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